I was never the type of person who had a “sweet tooth”. Growing up, if I was offered sliced apples or candy, I took the apples. Somewhere along the way, especially with dieting, I have developed one. I’m not exactly sure why, but I crave sugar and sweets all the time now.

This can be difficult because I have put in so much work building my body, and trying to live this healthy lifestyle. So, what was I to do in order to feed my cravings and at the same time, not hinder my progress. Well, I had to get creative.

My mom taught me how to cook and bake at a young age and it is a passion that I have continued to grow throughout my life. Ok, now to get to the point. My mom had a recipe for banana bread that I absolutely love. The only issue with it, as with most baking, is that it has far too many carbohydrates. I really wanted banana bread, so I decided to find a way to make it more “macro” friendly. It came out so well, that I have to share it, so here it is.

I have huge aspirations for myself this year. January 1 started with a list of goals that I was bound and determined to accomplish. My first goal was to become a Legionnaire with 1stPhorm. For those of you that don’t know, 1stPhorm is a sports supplement company. I have used a lot of supplements on my journey to become the best me possible and they are by far the best I have used. With that being said, check mark, I’m a Legionnaire. Next I wanted to become a representative for an athletic clothing company, check. I am a brand rep for an apparel company called Mind Body Soul Athletics. If you want free shipping on your order through them use the code “AdamFit” at checkout. I started this year with so much drive that I had accomplished these by the end of January.

Now my goals have grown and I am doing more and more to take myself out of my comfort zone. I decided that I wanted to help as many people as possible. This led me to becoming a certified personal trainer. I’m not quite there yet, but I am enrolled and taking courses and within the next 3-4 months I will be certified. I am also working on getting a full sponsorship from 1stPhorm now.

I bring all this up because even with the success I have been able to attain this year I always wonder if I am making the impact that I need to make so people start to recognize who I am. I wonder daily if I am going to succeed and just when I think my efforts have all been in vain one of the greatest things, in my opinion anyways, that could happen happens. I log onto my Instagram account and there is a photo that I have posted that has been seen and liked by the CEO of 1stPhorm Andy Frisella. To some this is no big deal, but to me it was an amazing moment.

The point of all of this is to show that even if you feel like you are not making an impact, you are. Stay the course and keep doing the right things and the results you want will come. Whether it is in business, fitness, life, or whatever it is that drives you, keep grinding away and the results will come. Keep making 2017 your best year yet!!

How many of you have ever heard the term, “if you didn’t lift it raw, then you didn’t really lift it.”? For those of you who haven’t I’ll take a minute to explain. A “raw” lift is one that is done without the assistance of any other equipment, i.e. a belt, deadlift suit, wrist straps, etc.…

There seems to be this new thing that it is better to lift without the assistance, or in my opinion, the additional safety of gear that is designed for weight lifting. This frustrates me as it can pose danger to someone who may have a previous injury.

I, for example, have a herniated disc between my L3 & L4 vertebrae. I use a very sturdy leather belt any time that I may arch my back during a lift. This is not to say that you should lift weight that is too heavy for you if you will break form, but it is there to ensure that my core stays tight and allows me to add force by pushing into the belt. Another example is wrist/lifting straps. These are used to assist those with weaker grips or smaller hands. I deadlift 375 pounds, and there is no way that my grip will hang on to the bar at that weight. Besides, I’m doing this lift to work my quads and my glutes, not my hands.

Should you use lighter weights before you put on a belt and try to squad 315lbs? Absolutely. You need to make sure that you know the proper/safest form to use when lifting. However, once you get the form down and develop the muscle memory of the lifts then you should start to utilize extra “accessories” to insure that you are steal being safe while performing the lift.

Lastly, not all weight training is created equal. A $20.00 belt that you pick up at the local super store is not going to provide you with the necessary support that your back needs to perform heavy lifts. I personally get my equipment from a website that specializes in powerlifting gear. Here is the link if you would like to check it out.

Be safe while you work out. Trust me, there is nothing worse than working on you physique for months only to be derailed by an injury. Before I end this I’ll leave you with one other gym saying. “Lift with your muscle. Not with your ego.” I promise if you keep that thought in your head you will be just fine. Additionally, be sure to check with a medical professional before you start a weight training routine, to verify that you don’t have an injury that you could aggravate.

Don’t forget to sign up for our mailing list by clicking the sign up now button to receive exercise and nutrition tips, and be sure to follow me on Instagram and join our Facebook group. Keep working hard and making 2017 your best year yet!!!

We all have internal and external factors that motivate us. Our external factors usually involve material wants. More money, a bigger house, a new car, etc. While all these things are fine to use as motivation, remember that they are material and that they will fade over time. I want to talk about your internal drive. These are the things that cannot be taken from you. They are your hopes, dreams, and desires. When looking to utilize either type of motivator, think about what is more important. Is it more important to have something that you will just want to trade in in a couple of years or something that cannot be bought and sold?

Why does this even matter in the first place? It matters because we are all destined for our own greatness. No one was placed on this earth to just exist. We are amazing beings with greatness in every single one of us. Now not all of us will be billionaires, but that is okay. You may not even want that much money. Not all of us will be business owners. Some of us enjoy just having a job. These, however, should not limit your own personal desires to do great things in your life. Therefore, you must find your internal drive.

Your internal drive, or fire some call it, will propel you to this personal greatness. The first thing you must do is find it. What exactly is it that keeps you going? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? For every single person, it is different. The only thing that matters is that you find it. When you feel like you can’t keep going or that you are too tired to do anything else, you can harness this extra energy and continue to push forward. Finding my fire has helped me to set my goals higher than I ever dreamed possible. It has motivated me to begin the process of starting my own business. I’m going back to school. I read more, and all of this after I work a 10-hour shift. I’m not saying this to brag. I’m saying this to demonstrate that once you find that fire, your body and mind can do amazing things.

Take the next few days and think about what you want out of life. After you have set a couple of goals, start thinking about why these are your goals. Once you have those two questions answered find that fire and fuel it. Use it to drive you to greatness and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it.

Cod is native to both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. It is part of the Gadidae family along with pollock, haddock, hake and whiting. When it comes to fish Cod is hands down one of my favorites. It is light and flaky and has a very limited “fishy flavor”. As with all fish, there is the fear that we will consume too much mercury in the process. However, there are several agencies that are working hard to ensure that you are educated on the safety of fish choices. Here are the links to them to educate yourselves.

Now that that’s out of the way let’s look at the benefits. Cod is an excellent source of Vitamin B12, Iodine, Selenium, Phosphorus, and Protein. Additionally, Cod has several other health benefits. In a large number of studies, fish, such as Cod, have been shown to assist in regulating blood sugar. In one study involving individuals who were already diagnosed with coronary heart disease, lean fish, like Cod, have been shown to improve cardiovascular risk factors when consuming approximately 4 servings per week. Another benefit, that most people look for, is the weight loss benefits of Cod. The consumption of Cod, because of its high protein content, can curb your appetite and leave you feeling full.

There are still a few things that you should look for when you go to make your Cod purchase. If you are lucky enough, I’m unfortunately not, to have a fish monger, then you should get to know them. This will be someone that you can trust when wanting the best quality fish. This will also allow you to purchase the fish that are on display and not prepackaged. When looking at it the fillets should glisten white and have no browning or gaping. You can also smell it and it should smell more like seawater than fish. This is a very perishable product and should be used within the first two days of purchase or vacuum sealed and frozen. If you freeze it be sure to refrigerator thaw it. Don’t leave it on the counter all day to thaw.

So, how are we going to cook it? Cod cooks relatively quick, about 7 min per inch of thickness and should reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. The fish will become opaque and will flake away with a fork. I usually bake or broil mine and I will include a recipe later in the article. Grilling is near impossible because it is very delicate and will burn easily.

Set oven on broil and allow to heat for 5 minutes. With a fork or spoon, mix extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, dill, and black pepper in a small bowl. Place fillets onto ungreased cookie sheet, brush or spoon sauce on fillets, and place in oven.
Broil 5-6 minutes on each side. Remove once light golden color is achieved. Sprinkle with sea salt. Serve with brown rice or steamed vegetables.

If you aren’t consuming fish on a regular basis, I would strongly recommend that you begin to add it to your diet. The health benefits are amazing. If you have any questions, feel free to email me. Also, don’t forget to sign up for the Adam Delgado Fitness email newsletter by clicking the sign-up button at the top of the page. You can also follow me on Instagram and join my Facebook group by clicking here. Good luck and keep making 2017 your best year yet.

I’ve written previously about meal prepping, but as I read it I realized it was more on meal planning than actual meal prepping. When I say meal prepping, I am talking about the food that we are planning on consuming that day or the next. This is such an important aspect of our fitness journey that it cannot be overlooked. If you don’t prep your meals the night before, you are allowing yourself a chance to fail. I say this because it almost allows too much flexibility when we get hungry. If you go to work and didn’t prep a meal you are prone to go to the vending machine, or if your office has a snack bar, or you end up going to a fast food restaurant instead.

To prevent this, you need to prep what you plan to eat the night before. This gives you time to weigh out your food, a very important process, and get it in the containers that you will carry it around with you. I also suggest that you download an app to track your macros. I use the myplate app from Livestrong.com. Here is the link to see it Link to Website. While you are weighing out your food you can enter it into the app and eliminate the guess work associated with macros. This makes it easier to adjust and make sure you are setting yourself up for success the next day. There are a lot of different ways to go about meal prepping
and the internet is loaded with information on it.

If you have any questions about meal prep or fitness in general, feel free to send me an email. Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and join our Facebook group (AdamDelgadoFitness) for even more fitness and nutrition info.

On your diet that is. Often the hardest part of our diets are the fact that we feel so restricted. There are so many wonderful foods out there, and that just makes it that much harder. With that being said, is it okay to cheat on your diet, or will it derail all your hard work. Well, when it comes to diet there is a lot of science that is involved so let’s get down to it.

When you diet it inevitably will affect your natural hormone levels will be affected. Have you ever noticed that when you diet or have a calorie deficit for an extended period you steam to stop losing weight? I know that I have, and this is why. The main cause is a hormone called Leptin. Leptin is a master hormone that is produced in our fat cells and regulated our Thyroid. Before we go any further, what is the Thyroid? The Thyroid is a gland in our neck that secretes T3 & T4 to assist with our metabolism. For more info on the Thyroid Click this link.

Okay, so back to Leptin. As I mentioned earlier, Leptin is produced in our fat cells. Since it produced in these cells it will be higher in people with higher levels of body fat. This is why when you are overweight, weight tends to come off at a rapid pace when you first start dieting and exercising. However, when you stay in a calorie your body will eventually stop burning fat. Leptin is also referred to as the anti-starvation hormone for this reason. Our bodies have adapted over the ages to keep us alive. When there are times of famine our Leptin slows down the production of our T3 and T4 to keep fat on our bodies to survive.

Now that we know why we are having a hard time getting those pounds off after the first few months of dieting, how do we counteract it? Have a cheat day. Eat pizza or go get a burger and fries. You can even have some ice cream. The trick is to keep your calories down during the week. I would also suggest keeping your carb intake down while trying to lose weight. Your body will be primed to burn extra fat after the cheat meal. When you have the extra carbs from a cheat meal, for one it is a mental relief from the dieting. More importantly, it will kick your Leptin in to gear which will cause your Thyroid to start producing T3 & T4 at a repaid rate, and will in turn burn more fat prepping your body to start dieting again the next day and keep the fat burning process going.

Remember, have fun while you are on this journey. Don’t overthink it. Just work hard, eat right and cheat once a week. If you have any questions feel free to email me. Also you can follow me on Instagram, join my Facebook group and sign up for my fitness emails. The emails are a new things that I just started and they include recipes, fitness advice and more to assist you on your journey.keep working hard and make 2017 your best year yet!!